


After All Those Years Alone

by petalsandguitars



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Día de Muertos, Gen, Post-Canon, Post-Movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 06:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13184505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petalsandguitars/pseuds/petalsandguitars
Summary: Héctor finally gets to meet his living family for the first time now that his story has been told and his photo has been put on the Rivera family's ofrenda.





	After All Those Years Alone

**Author's Note:**

> You can find my Tumblr post for this here: https://fedecolombo.tumblr.com/post/172669412577/.
> 
> Asked for a prompt on a group chat and I went with the first that was suggested to me which was the prompt of Héctor’s first time visiting his living family and trying to get to know them.

Héctor and the other Riveras arrived to their living family’s home in time to enjoy a beautiful song of Miguel’s creation and Héctor couldn’t resist playing alongside him even though he could not hear him, holding his old guitar once again felt just natural, there was nothing awkward now in being a musician.

He laid the borrowed instrument against the house’s wall and resumed his place next to Imelda just to have two little kids rush right through his legs.

‘Woha, and who might they be?’ he asked with a big smile.

‘Come, I’ll “introduce” you,’ said Imelda, wrapping her arm around his.

They sat comfortably in a corner and went through the names of the whole family, they were flanked by Oscar and Felipe who had left Papá Julio and Mamá Coco enjoy a moment close to their daughter Elena with Tía Victoria while Tía Rosita was enjoying some pan dulce from the ofrenda.

‘So… so, so, so,’ said Héctor, raking his brain for the newly learned names, there was so much emotion running through him that he was having a hard time remembering them.

He cleared his throat, then pointed with a skeletal finger, ‘Abel,’ he said.

Imelda nodded, ‘Then?’

Héctor pointed right next to Abel, ‘Rosa,’ he said this time.

‘Oh, your brain is starting to work then?’ Imelda said.

‘Ah ah ah, very funny, mi amor,’ said Héctor then pointed at the ever-running toddlers, ‘Benny on the left and Manny on the right.’

‘No,’ said Imelda.

‘Ay,’ said Héctor with a smile, cowering playfully because Imelda had raised a hand and gently slapped his nape.

She looked him in the eye, ‘Make that brain work, Héctor, do you want to know your own family or what?’

He smiled rather stupidly and she raised a brow, ‘What?’

‘Nothing, you’re just so beautiful… whenever! But when you’re being like that, ay, I don’t know…’ he said and stared dreamily at the night sky, he was brought back by a much harder slap, ‘Ouch! What was that for?!’

Imelda was clearly embarassed to be called beautiful in front of her brothers, who were indeed sniggering, ‘Stop saying idiocies and focus,’ she pointed this time, ‘that is Manny and that is Benny.’

‘Seriously, Héctor,’ began Oscar.

‘How can you not tell them apart?’ concluded Felipe.

Héctor looked away, rolling his eyes and said under his breath, ‘As if I’ve ever been able to tell _you two_ apart.’

‘What was that?’ said Oscar and Felipe in unison.

‘Nothing!’ said Héctor quickly, ‘Nothing at all.’

After a few more times where he tried his best to recognise who Benny was and who Manny was by staring hard into their faces, Héctor gave up and Imelda could tell that he was now telling them apart by the colours of their shirts and couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

Héctor laughed heartily at the sound of his wife’s cheerful voice, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, mi amor, I just can’t do it.’

‘Well,’ said Imelda, turning to face him, ‘they’ll be Benny and Manny to you.’

‘Brothers going juntos all the time,’ said Héctor, raising a fist to tap over where his heart had once been with his ribcage held out in mock-pride of his own serious expression.

Imelda shook her head but she was smiling and when she looked into Héctor’s eyes they gave each other a light kiss.

‘Oh but now, my love,’ said Héctor, ‘I want to see the little one!’

‘As do I,’ said Imelda and they headed through the courtyard to where Papá Enrique was holding his daughter Socorro and stopped right next to them.

‘Ay, she’s so beautiful,’ said Héctor with a sweet smile.

‘She truly is,’ Imelda said and held to Héctor’s arm, embracing him, ‘reminds you of anyone?’

‘Yes,’ he said with the same sweet smile, his eyes still on Socorro, ‘she looks just like our Coco when she was this little.’

‘Want to set bets with the rest of the family about whether she’ll grow up to look like our Coco in her older years too?’ said Imelda with a smirk.

Héctor chuckled, ‘I believe she’ll look more like her Mamá, but hey, anything’s possible!’

‘As I have a feeling Miguel inherited a little too much from you, mi amor,’ said Imelda.

‘What do you mean?’ asked Héctor, puzzled.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he grew up to look just like you,’ she said with a mischievous smile.

He returned it with half-lidded eyes, ‘So you’re basically saying that Miguel will be muy guapo like your husband?’

Imelda rolled her eyes and pushed her whole hand on Héctor’s face to which he chuckled and kissed it before she took it away.

They instinctively turned to look at Miguel, who was playing Héctor’s old guitar for the whole family, living and dead, because he knew they were there.

‘He’ll be a spectacular big brother,’ said Héctor.

‘Yes, he will,’ said Imelda.

And they stayed there in a loving embrace, simply drinking in their family’s presence until they had to go, just to come back once again, one year later.


End file.
